Literally the worst idea possible to trade Mantha right now. He is at the bottom of is potential value. Better to try to ride this out, and see if he can turn the corner.

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This.

I remember when people wanted to trade Datsyuk because, "He's not a playoff guy" and "He's flashy but thats all".
Not saying on this board, but I had heated arguments with friends over it. This was only a few years into his career.
Mantha is not going to become Datsyuk, but he could become Mantha!!!

I remember when people wanted to trade Datsyuk because, "He's not a playoff guy" and "He's flashy but thats all".
Not saying on this board, but I had heated arguments with friends over it. This was only a few years into his career.
Mantha is not going to become Datsyuk, but he could become Mantha!!!

or Mantha.........

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It depends on the offer.

I'm not against your approach, but the rebuild is shaping up to reach a turning point in the next year or two, when the switch should flip from hoarding assets to acquire the next core, to rounding out that core and seeing how far it can take them.

I'm not in a rush to deal Mantha by any means, but as the Zadinas and Velenos and Cholowskis of the world become regulars and grow, there will probably need to be a guy or two packaged in a trade, to try to finish off the elements that weren't found via draft, and at the moment Mantha looks like a candidate to keep tabs on.

Maybe UFAs and offer sheets are a gold mine for Detroit, and the defense suddenly improves dramatically. But if one or more trades are still necessary, you have to give to get, and the young forwards (with value) that I'd consider moving are Mantha and AA. We'll see how it unfolds.

The only way he's going to become a 30 goal guy in the NHL is if he commits to being a net front presence. He probably doesn't have the stones for that role so he'll probably end up being a 20-25 goal guy. I don't say that as a criticism as very few players can embrace that role. Homer and Mule did and they both had very successful NHL careers. Mantha simply doesn't have the drive to play that sort of game. Again, it's not said as a criticism, just an acknowledgement of reality.

I've been pushing for trading him for a few years now. He's a nice guy but he is what he is and it's highly unlikely he ever grows beyond the player he is right now.

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When I think net front guy, I think of Rasmussen and Holmstrom due to limitations of their skill set to be much of a producer outside the net front. Franzen and Mantha are a completely different skill set with their respective shots. Sure, embracing the dirty areas as a part of his game will supplement his scoring, but I think that the mental aspect of being afraid that "shooting could be the wrong decision" has implanted itself in Mantha's head. We've seen a handful of goals where he comes down the wing and rips a shot to the far post; his shot is unlike anyone on the roster at the current moment when you combine the release, the accuracy, and the power behind it. But a majority of his shots look like they are shots he is taking because the system says he should be taking them, not because he is shooting with the intent to score.

Conveniently, he's only under contract for one more year. I'd like to get him to the offseason on a high note and healthy, give him one last offseason to train and evolve, and we will see what he looks like next year. If we don't see something click, I'm sure Montreal would love to make a good offer for a French-Canadian power forward on a cost controlled RFA contract.

When I think net front guy, I think of Rasmussen and Holmstrom due to limitations of their skill set to be much of a producer outside the net front. Franzen and Mantha are a completely different skill set with their respective shots. Sure, embracing the dirty areas as a part of his game will supplement his scoring, but I think that the mental aspect of being afraid that "shooting could be the wrong decision" has implanted itself in Mantha's head. We've seen a handful of goals where he comes down the wing and rips a shot to the far post; his shot is unlike anyone on the roster at the current moment when you combine the release, the accuracy, and the power behind it. But a majority of his shots look like they are shots he is taking because the system says he should be taking them, not because he is shooting with the intent to score.

Conveniently, he's only under contract for one more year. I'd like to get him to the offseason on a high note and healthy, give him one last offseason to train and evolve, and we will see what he looks like next year. If we don't see something click, I'm sure Montreal would love to make a good offer for a French-Canadian power forward on a cost controlled RFA contract.

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We need to see if st. louis would let Hull hang out with the kid. Hull never saw a shot he didn't like, and maybe it would rub off.

Mantha strikes me as a guy that once the team gets some real talent on it (this years first, Zadina, Veleno, Larkin even older etc.), he will be really good. He isnt a guy that I think can handle the pressure of being a top 2 or 3 relied on player because hes streaky and hes not necesarily a guy that creates offense like a Larkin does. But once he gets older, hes a guy who can finish great and can be really good net front when talent is on the outside creating.

Even with him having a "down" year like people are talking about, hes still on pace for about 25 goals. The guy finds ways to get pucks in the net, even if he is streaky. Hes coming off a 24 goal rookie season as well. Wait a couple years and he'll be scoring 30 with talent around him, no doubt in my mind

Mantha strikes me as a guy that once the team gets some real talent on it (this years first, Zadina, Veleno, Larkin even older etc.), he will be really good. He isnt a guy that I think can handle the pressure of being a top 2 or 3 relied on player because hes streaky and hes not necesarily a guy that creates offense like a Larkin does. But once he gets older, hes a guy who can finish great and can be really good net front when talent is on the outside creating.

Even with him having a "down" year like people are talking about, hes still on pace for about 25 goals. The guy finds ways to get pucks in the net, even if he is streaky. Hes coming off a 24 goal rookie season as well. Wait a couple years and he'll be scoring 30 with talent around him, no doubt in my mind

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This is actually a great post, maybe we should be patient with not just Mantha, but AA too. I keep hearing some people (Myself included) trying to trade some of these guys, but we need to realize that the team is rebuilding, with more talented players coming in our way in the future, guys like Mantha and AA will likely improve.

This is actually a great post, maybe we should be patient with not just Mantha, but AA too. I keep hearing some people (Myself included) trying to trade some of these guys, but we need to realize that the team is rebuilding, with more talented players coming in our way in the future, guys like Mantha and AA will likely improve.

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Guys will get pushed down to a proper spot in the line up once high end talent gets here. If the wings draft Hughes and Larkin becomes the second line center, you have Hughes scoring 80 points on the first line with Larkin getting easier matchups with a guy like Mantha on his line. Right now teams are trying to stpo Mantha and hes still on pace for 25 goals. When hes not a top 2 or 3 focus for another team he'll be really good I think. Hes a solid top 6 player.

I think Kadri is a good example of this. Hes a legit top 6 player but got pushed down the line up when Matthews was drafted into a proper spot for him. He was solid before but now Matthews is good enough to win first line battles with Kadri down the line up coming off back to back 30 goal seasons. The Leafs werent good with him but he was s olid player. Now hes a really good player in his role with talent ahead of him.

Lots of Leaf fans wanted him gone too because when they were bad he wasnt quite good enough to pull them out of it but good enough to have trade value. I mean for the right player I would trade AA or Mantha (Trouba) but its not a must trade/sell low situation

A lock? No way. He goes invisible before and after injuries. That's why the wings were so disappointed in him a few years ago. He has a low motor.

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Even missing weeks of the season he's still on pace to score at least 20 goals. Coming back from a hand injury as someone who lives off his wrist shot is hard, because a wrist shot is all about dexterity.

Even missing weeks of the season he's still on pace to score at least 20 goals. Coming back from a hand injury as someone who lives off his wrist shot is hard, because a wrist shot is all about dexterity.

Mantha strikes me as a guy that once the team gets some real talent on it (this years first, Zadina, Veleno, Larkin even older etc.), he will be really good. He isnt a guy that I think can handle the pressure of being a top 2 or 3 relied on player because hes streaky and hes not necesarily a guy that creates offense like a Larkin does. But once he gets older, hes a guy who can finish great and can be really good net front when talent is on the outside creating.

Even with him having a "down" year like people are talking about, hes still on pace for about 25 goals. The guy finds ways to get pucks in the net, even if he is streaky. Hes coming off a 24 goal rookie season as well. Wait a couple years and he'll be scoring 30 with talent around him, no doubt in my mind

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Great post mate.

Mantha and AA both strike me as 5th forwards in a good top 6 lineup. Neither guy is going to drive an elite line, but both could be key contributors if paired with elite players who they compliment.